


harm(less)

by Alphawulf



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe: Future (Cartoon)
Genre: Corrupted Steven Universe, Gen, Misunderstandings, so we made that a tag now huh, they don't know it's steven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21754258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alphawulf/pseuds/Alphawulf
Summary: Garnet is staring at the thing; she has not moved in over a minute. Pearl is off to her right, yelling something or other, but Garnet does not hear her. Instead, she has a desperate focus on her powers, her future vision, trying to make sense of the madness.This creature was not in any possible future she had seen today, not one.  It blindsided her, shoved their solid present down an unforeseen creek, and now they're awash in an unfamiliar ocean, every possibility equally as likely in her complete ignorance of what this thing evenis.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 277





	harm(less)

The beast rises from the ocean like a particularly angry cliff, towering over Beach City's own, its horns reaching higher than the lighthouse in front of it.

One massive foot moves closer to the temple, large waves traveling up the beach to lap against the exposed rock, the house untouched - for the moment. 

Garnet is staring at the thing; she has not moved in over a minute. Pearl is off to her right, yelling something or other, but Garnet does not hear her. Instead, she has a desperate focus on her powers, her future vision, trying to make sense of the madness.

This creature was not in any possible future she had seen today, not one. It blindsided her, shoved their solid present down an unforeseen creek, and now they're awash in an unfamiliar ocean, every possibility equally as likely in her complete ignorance of what this thing even _is._

"Garnet!" Pearl's cries finally get through, and Garnet turns toward Pearl. "What is this creature? It has to be a corrupted gem, right? So where is her gem?"

Garnet tries to follow any possible stream of events but the currents push her off course and she ends up more lost than ever. "I- I don't know… I can't _see_ -" she cuts herself off as her panic rises, trying to keep herself grounded. 

"Well, whatever she is-" Pearl continues, trying to reign Garnet back in and help calm her with analysis, "it certainly isn't like any of the other corruptions we've seen. Not a Quartz soldier, not a Nephrite…" she goes on, voice pitching higher as she does. 

"Yo, P, we get it!" Amethyst interjects, cutting Pearl off. "That doesn't matter! If she is a gem, then we just gotta _poof_ 'er." Her whip is stretched between her hands, and she lowers herself into a fighting stance.

Pearl has her trident in her hands, pointed at the creature, but her uncertainty has kept her from making an offensive move.

Garnet has not summoned her gauntlets in her rattled state of mind.

The creature looms, head tilted down to take in the sight of these three small beings. Its legs splayed to the side like a lizard, its belly dragging through the sand. Out further in the ocean, the beast's tail breaches the surface, betraying how long it really is.

Its right foot lifts, as it continues its approach into town, and Pearl now has shifted her foot back, bracing herself for an attack.

The ground shakes violently when its foot meets the earth once again, an earthquake enough to make the buildings rattle. Pearl glances to Garnet before chucking her weapon at the beast, breaking into a sprint towards her still stunned teammate.

"Garnet, it's okay, we can do this together!" Her hand is on the taller gem’s shoulder, and that seems to shake Garnet from her thoughts.

"I- right. Okay," her voice is softer than usual, more emotion slipping through than she would have liked, but she tries to push her malfunctioning powers to the back of her mind for the moment. Her gauntlets flash into existence over her fists.

Meanwhile, the creature swatted away the projectile with simple ease, leg snapping the trident in half before it could do much of anything. When the foot meets the beach once more, its claws land between Amethyst and the other two - it's gotten too close, if they can't stop it now, then soon Beach City will be flattened beneath the creature’s belly.

"Hey!" A distant voice calls, and in the sky is Peridot, atop her trash can lid, Bismuth hanging onto the handle. Lapis swoops down next to Amethyst. 

"Need some help?" Lapis asks with a smug grin, coaxing the water to rise and circle the thing, forming a giant watery hand to try and pull it further into the ocean. 

There's a rumbling noise, almost more of a vibration in the air that rattles the gems to their cores. The noise becomes ear splitting once the creature opens its mouth, revealing a few rows of pointed teeth. 

Bismuth lands next to Garnet, placing a hand on her other shoulder, free hand morphing into a hammer. "We saw there was trouble over here, figured you could use a little help!"

Garnet takes a moment, taking a slow, unnecessary breath, before nodding. "Alright, Crystal Gems! We have to keep this thing away from the town. Peridot, Amethyst - look for its gem. Lapis, keep that up, and keep it from coming any closer. The rest of us need to keep it distracted and try to stop it!" As soon as she finishes speaking, she leaps from the beach, landing on one of the creatures horns - the one jutting from the left side of its mouth.

Amethyst shifts into an owl and takes off next to Peridot; the creature follows them with its eyes - huge, and yet somehow still beady looking in comparison to the rest of its face. They split up, and for a moment it's confused, before settling its gaze on Peridot - the larger of the two.

It pushes itself up, front legs in the air, as if to snap at the gem, but with a tug it's pulled back down by the ocean, Lapis staggering when its legs meet the sand once more.

Pearl has another spear readied, and she aims a few strategic lasers to grab the beast’s attention, allow Peridot and Amethyst to scout with little trouble. Its gaze lands on Pearl, and she feels herself panic slightly, nearly freezing up but able to break through the fear and dodge to the side. Bismuth leaps onto the nearest foot, to climb it and find a potential weak point.

The thing huffs, the breath buffeting Pearl and sending sand into the air. Bismuth has met up with Garnet atop the things head, scouting a bit themselves before giving away their positions - the beast seems to not care that they have scaled it. It attempts another step, and Lapis pulls it back towards the ocean, its other feet sliding through the sand and leaving trenches where its claws drag. The raised foot lands in the spot it had started, and a malcontent rumble comes from the creature.

Pearl can see the beach alight in a faint pink glow for just a moment, before another new voice speaks up, “What’s the trouble? Lion was really worri-” there’s a brief pause before Pearl hears Connie’s surprised exclamation.

“Connie, careful! We don't know what this thing is!"

"Yes ma'am! What can I do to help?" Pearl hears a sword being drawn, and she chances a look back - Connie and Lion are on the roof of the house, the latter of the two clearly agitated as his tail swipes from side to side, ears flat against his head. 

Another air shaking rumble; Pearl turns back to the action. The beast is looking at Lapis and huffing air out of its mouth, its head rapidly closing the distance between the two of them.

"Distract it with me!" Pearl says, and then Lion roars, moments before he and Connie jump from a portal in front of Lapis, who is doing her best to keep the thing's body away from her.

Its eyes follow the new movement, and it bellows. Connie has to cover her ears at the sheer volume of it.

Lapis strains with the effort of keeping the creature from advancing on Connie.

Lion roars at it, as if a response, but his attack merely makes the thing's head lift a bit with the force. Connie gets her feet beneath her, steadies herself on Lion's back before leaping at its face, lowering back down to ground level.

It makes another noise, less loud, rising in pitch at the end, and Connie can feel it shake her bones. She's able to grab a tusk, and swing herself onto it, using it to steady herself as she plans her next course of action. 

A few lasers fly past Connie, and hit the thing about its nose, making it recoil slightly. It makes another noise, more from its throat from what Connie can tell, holding onto the tusk so as to not fall to the beach - which has gotten significantly further away. 

This noise sounds almost like it is composed of two syllables, a pause halfway through, the first higher pitched than the second. Connie wonders what it’s trying to say, if it even knows what it’s doing.

There’s a loud explosion, and the entire creature shakes with the aftereffects, maw wide as a sound to rival the explosion causes the air around Connie to vibrate violently.

She loses her footing, clinging desperately to the tusk as her sword falls to Earth - a good two stories away, at the very least. The creatures large black eyes - with just the smallest, bright pupil in each - are looking directly at her. There’s a shout - she can’t make out the words, but the voice sounded like Pearl’s - and she turns her head, trying to keep her heart out of her throat while she looks down.

A large, clawed limb is quickly approaching her, and she watches as Pearl’s trident pings harmlessly off the thing’s hide. A watery lasso loops around the ankle, pulls the foot to a stop, and even away, but the creature staggers at that, and Connie feels her fingers slip.

Those large eyes dart around - to the gems on the beach, scanning for those it doesn’t see - and out of the corner of her eye Connie spies Amethyst, as some sort of bird, soar past and out of her line of sight.

“-Can’t find the gem, it’s not on its back, or-” is all she catches before a higher pitched rumble masks the words. Mouth closed, the creature lifts its head, rapidly, and Connie is certain she’ll fall off, her sweat slicking her palms. The forces of gravity and air resistance are almost too much.

She’s in the air, going up - oh Stars she’s going higher into the air - and she catches a glimpse of the beast, eyes on her, head tilted up - it flung her into the sky!

Adrenaline roaring in her ears, she takes a moment to think, to get herself out of this mess, but she can't, she can only hope someone notices. Her screams get swallowed by the air rushing past her.

Below, far below, she can see the shapes of Garnet and Bismuth on the creature’s back, trying and failing to get past its natural armor - nearby them, there’s a blackened section she can only assume is from the explosion she heard. Peridot has rounded the thing’s front, standing near Lapis and protecting her as best as she can. Pearl is looking around, perhaps for Connie, and seemingly speaking to someone - she thinks she sees a purple smudge near her. 

The creature opens its mouth, and she’s overwhelmed by fear and relief as she can’t hear the certainly ear splitting noise it makes, and yet catches the glint of the sun off of its many, many sharp teeth.

It _leaps._

Connie watches, almost in slow motion as the water restraining it merely washes off of it, as if it wasn’t just stopped by it moments prior. She watches Garnet and Bismuth grab hold of the thorns along its back, so as not to fall. The gems on the beach stumble, the force of the jump shaking the beach in a massive show of force.

Its eyes are still on her. 

Its mouth is open.

She feels herself slowing down - possibly reaching the top of her arc, ready to start the plunge, or perhaps she’s merely imagining it, her panic dilating time because she’s about to die.

Oh no, is she about to _die?_

Panic seizes her, and she can only observe as the creature tilts its head, its mouth no longer directly under her. 

A horn rises past her, mere inches from her, and soon she’s pressed against its massive head as she feels it slow down in its rise. 

It should start to plummet right about now, but it merely drifts, much to Connie’s confusion. Steadying herself against the horn, she glances down its back to spy Bismuth and Garnet attempting to stop it while it can’t try to get away - their arms are long, and perhaps they’re trying to wrap around it and constrict it?

When it touches down once more, Connie hugs the horn for dear life so she doesn’t slip off of the creature again, and when she scans the beach, the gems there seem to be plotting, huddled off down the beach to regroup. 

The beach gets closer, and soon its head shakes as its chin meets the sand. 

And then it just lays there, making soft sounds - loud, but subdued - that almost sound like coughing, in a weird, monstrous and growl-y way. A front foot lifts to its face, and she reels back, worried about an attack, but the foot simply stay where they were placed.

Connie is _very_ confused, to put it bluntly.

Steeling her nerves, she makes to slide down its face, and ends up on the bridge of its nose, a claw within arms reach. There’s something pink embedded in the sole of the foot, and as she tries to duck around to get a better view, she catches sight of one of its eyes.

It’s crying, or at least, there’s water in its eyes. The eye she sees turns to her, and with a quick glance behind her she realizes the thing has gone cross eyed.

There’s a higher pitched cough - or, is that _sobbing?_ It can’t be, can it? - and it closes its eyes, the large tears roll down its cheeks and get caught in its mouth, thanks to the massive underbite.

The foot near her moves, and she turns and presses her back against its nose to try and stay safe, and the claws move past her, away from her, but the pink thing in its foot is next to her now.

It’s her sword, hilt deep in the creature. There - there’s blood there too, and she wonders for the briefest moment if another human grabbed her sword, tried to help before - but no. No, it’s something else, something her mind is refusing to let her think, even as she draws herself back up to her full height, one hand braced against the creature’s skin as the other reaches out for her sword.

With some effort, she’s able to pull it from the creature, and the sight of her weapon covered in blood makes her legs weak.

The foot lowers, and she sees the group of gems rushing towards her - towards them. 

“Connie! Hold on, we’re coming! We saw where the gem was when she jumped, we just have to-”

“No,” she says, far too quiet for the others to hear, before repeating herself, louder, “No!” 

Pearl nearly stumbles at that, confusion written across her face.

“Stop attacking!” She wants to be wrong, but nothing else makes sense, “It’s not a normal gem!” Mentally, she berates herself - she knows better, but saying it will make it _real._

“What are you _saying?”_ Peridot asks, having gotten the closest on her metal lid.

“It- _he_ bleeds. He saved me.” Absently, her hand rubs against the scales she feels. “He was never trying to hurt us.”

It hasn’t quite clicked for the others yet, not until he licks his foot and the faint glow fades, the injury gone. 

Pearl drops her spear, and it disintegrates the moment it hits the sand.

“Steven?”

He rumbles in response, as quiet as he can so as not to hurt Connie’s ears.

**Author's Note:**

> Had this sitting in my docs for a little while, and those first four episodes really pushed me to conclude it! Finally, a corrupted Steven fic to my name. I wanted one where the others didn't realize it was him, and attacked him. Tbh, it was Hard to write, because making the first gem attack him was such a hurdle - something that would be traumatizing to both Steven and the attacker.
> 
> If you want, try to read it from his point of view; there's reasons for all his actions - movements, noises. He never meant to be threatening. It's just harder to see since it's written in a more limited view.
> 
> (if you want, I can explain things too, if you're unsure of what his intentions were)
> 
> Also, I'm @whentvsfly over on tumblr, feel free to hit me up! I'm pretty deep in this fandom again, and I've done at Least one (1) art for su:f so far, and I plan to do more!


End file.
